McGUFFEY — A 21-point halftime deficit proved too much for the Upper Scioto Valley girls basketball team, which fell to Bluffton 71-49 on Tuesday night. With just one full-time returning starter in Kaycee Carroll and several new faces in starting roles for the Lady Rams (0-1), led by first-year head coach Travis Donley, the game proved a learning experience for the team.

A nationally honored teacher challenged local educators to see their students not as a burden, but as a sanctuary. Kim Bearden is a co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta.

HSLC employees Ann Brown (left) and Sondra Prater show some of the items donated for the annual holiday toy and food drive underway at the Kenton business. Non-perishable food items along with new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages are being accepted in the drive, which Home Savings has conducted for nearly 30 years.

ADA — The Inn at Ohio Northern University, 401 W. College Ave., Ada, is part of the Candy Cane tour of Homes, set for 1 to 6 p.m Sunday, Dec. 3. Tour participants will be welcomed into holiday splendor when they enter the doors of the inn.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — From an early age, Craig Taylor has had a passion for sports, and it’s all thanks to his mother, Barb. Craig is in his 15th year at Riverdale High School, having served 12 of them as the activities director and 10 as the boys basketball coach.

Tony Lee, of West Lake, Mich., failed to make the curve on Ohio 309 in Kenton and struck two homes today at about 7 a.m. The homes are at 413 and 417 W. Franklin Street.

The McGuffey Fire Department received mutual aid from surrounding stations in fighting a fire in Foraker on Sunday morning. The home at 8005 Flora Street belongs to Joe and Jennifer Bailey.

The home of Rodney and Becky Reed at 621 N. Main Street in Kenton, is another beautiful home featured on the Candy Cane Tour of Homes. Sponsored by Keep Hardin County Beautiful, the tour will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.

With an early spark from its defense and a hot hand from beyond the three-point arc, the Kenton girls basketball team got its season off to a quick start on Saturday night. The Lady Wildcats forced visiting Lima Central Catholic into turnovers on seven of its first eight possessions and opened the game with an 11-0 run on the way to a 54-37 victory.

RIDGEWAY — Holding an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Benjamin Logan Raiders looked set to cruise to an easy girls basketball win over Ridgemont on the road Saturday night. But the Gophers pushed back in the final period, closing to within three points with just 15 seconds to go.